Nan Sherwood's Winter Holidays eBook

“She was probably drunk when she treated the
child so. If she destroyed Inez basket and used
the money Inez always saved back to buy a new supply
of bouquets, she fair put the poor thing out o’
business.”

“Oh, dear!” said Nan. “And
we can’t find her on the square.”

“Poor thing! I wisht she had come here
for a bite—­I do. I’d have trusted
her for a meal of vittles.”

“I am sure you would, Mrs. Beasley,” Nan
said, and she and her friends went away very much
worried over the disappearance of Inez, the flower-seller.

CHAPTER XXIII

JUST TOO LATE

Walter Mason was not only an accommodating escort;
he was very much interested in the search for Inez.
Even Bess, who seldom admitted the necessity for boys
at any time in her scheme of life, admitted on this
occasion that she was glad Walter was present.

“That woman, poor little Inez’s aunt,
would have slapped my face, I guess,” she admitted.
“Isn’t it mean of her to speak so of the
child? And she had beaten her! I don’t
see how you had the courage to face her, Walter.”

“I should give him my medal,” chuckled
Nan. “Where now, Walter?”

“To see that officer,” declared the boy.

The trio were again on the square where Inez had told
Nan she almost always sold her flowers. Walter
came back in a few moments from his interview with
the police officer.

“Nothing doing,” he reported. “The
man says he hasn’t seen her for several days,
and she was always here.”

“I suppose he knows whom we mean?” worried
Bess.

“Couldn’t be any mistake about that,”
Walter said. “He is afraid she is sick.”

“I’m not,” Nan said promptly.
“It is just as Mrs. Beasley says. If her
aunt took Inez’s basket and money away, she is
out of business. She’s lost her capital.
I only hope she is not hungry, poor thing.”

“Dear, dear!” joined in Bess. “If
she only knew how to come to us! She must know
we’d help her.”

“She knows where we are staying,” Nan
said. “Don’t you remember I showed
her Walter’s card?”

“Then why hasn’t she been to see us?”
cried Bess.

“I guess there are several reasons for that,”
said sensible Nan.

“Well! I’d like to know what they
are,” cried her chum. “Surely, she
could find her way.”

“Oh, yes. Perhaps she didn’t want
to come. Perhaps she is too proud to beg of us—­just
beg money, I mean. She is an independent
little thing.”

“Oh, I know that,” admitted Bess.

“But more than likely,” Nan pursued, “her
reason for not trying to see us was that she was afraid
she would not be admitted to the house.”

“My gracious!” exclaimed Walter.
“I never thought of that.”

“Just consider what would happen to a ragged
and dirty little child who mounted your steps—­even
suppose she got that far,” Nan said.